Material Profile: Somos® PerFORM™ High-Heat Composite Resin (Covestro / Stratasys) for Uniontech SLA 3D
Uniontech SLA Resin Technical Report Series
Compiled from Uniontech, Stratasys / Covestro official datasheets, SDS documents, and third-party technical reviews
Abstract—Somos® PerFORM™ is a ceramic-particle-filled 355 nm SLA composite photopolymer engineered for high-temperature, high-stiffness applications — most prominently rapid tooling, wind-tunnel testing parts, electrical casings, and automotive housings near hot zones. Tensile strength 68 MPa (UV) / 80 MPa (UV+thermal), flexural strength 120 MPa / 146 MPa, modulus 10,500 MPa, and HDT (0.45 MPa) of 269 °C make it one of the highest-stiffness, highest-temperature SLA materials on the market. Trade-off: very low elongation (≈ 1.1 %, brittle).
Index Terms—additive manufacturing, SLA, photopolymer, composite resin, ceramic filled, high heat, wind tunnel, tooling, HDT 269 C.
I. MATERIAL IDENTIFICATION
This section establishes the canonical names and commercial designations under which the resin is supplied.
A. Designation
Trade name: Somos® PerFORM™. Owner: Covestro (formerly DSM). Distributor: Stratasys; supported on Uniontech SLA platforms. Color: White / off-white (composite filler appearance).
B. Resin Family
Ceramic-particle-loaded acrylate photopolymer composite; 355 nm UV laser cure + optional thermal post-cure for maximum HDT.
C. Aliases and Alternative Designations
|
Alias |
Origin / Usage |
|
Somos PerFORM |
Standard product designation |
|
DSM PerFORM |
Original DSM (legacy) branding |
|
Covestro PerFORM |
Current ownership branding |
II. COMPOSITION AND PHOTOPOLYMER CHEMISTRY
A. General Resin Family
Generic photo-polymerisation: monomers (multi-functional acrylates / urethane-acrylates) + photoinitiator + 355 nm UV laser → crosslinked thermoset network. Exact formulation is proprietary. Ceramic micro-particle filler dispersed in acrylate matrix.
Fig. 1. Photopolymer crosslinking schematic for the resin family.
Fig. 2. Industrial SLA print → wash → post-cure process flow.
B. Composition Breakdown
TABLE I COMPOSITIONAL BREAKDOWN OF SOMOS® PERFORM™ RESIN (TYPICAL / PER SUPPLIER DATASHEET)
|
Constituent |
Mass fraction |
Function |
|
Acrylate photopolymer matrix |
≈ 50–65 wt% |
Photo-cured network binder |
|
Ceramic micro-particle filler |
≈ 30–45 wt% |
Stiffness, low CTE, high HDT |
|
Photoinitiator |
≈ 1–3 wt% |
Absorbs 355 nm UV |
|
Stabilisers, additives |
≈ 1–3 wt% |
Surface flow, shelf life |
|
Total |
100 wt% |
— |
III. MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
PerFORM offers two cure conditions: UV-only and UV + thermal. Thermal post-cure substantially raises HDT (from 82 °C to 119 °C at 1.81 MPa) and modestly elevates strength. Both conditions are tabulated below per the Stratasys datasheet.
TABLE II MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF SOMOS® PERFORM™ RESIN (POST-CURE, ISO 527 / ASTM D638)
|
Property |
Value |
Test method / source |
|
Density |
≈ 1.61 g/cm³ (high due to ceramic filler) |
ASTM D792 |
|
Tensile strength (UV cure) |
68 MPa (9.9 ksi) |
ASTM D638M |
|
Tensile strength (UV + thermal cure) |
80 MPa (11.6 ksi) |
ASTM D638M |
|
Tensile modulus (UV cure) |
10,500 MPa (1,520 ksi) |
ASTM D638M |
|
Tensile modulus (UV + thermal cure) |
9,800 MPa (1,420 ksi) |
ASTM D638M |
|
Elongation at break (UV / UV+thermal) |
1.1 % / 1.2 % |
ASTM D638M |
|
Flexural strength (UV / UV+thermal) |
120 / 146 MPa (17.4 / 21.2 ksi) |
ASTM D790M |
|
Flexural modulus (UV / UV+thermal) |
10,000 / 9,030 MPa (1,450 / 1,310 ksi) |
ASTM D790M |
|
Izod impact, notched (UV / UV+thermal) |
17 / 20 J/m |
ASTM D256A |
|
Hardness Shore D (UV / UV+thermal) |
94 / 93 |
ASTM D2240 |
|
Water absorption (24 h) |
0.2 % / 0.1 % |
ASTM D570-98 |
IV. RECOMMENDED PRINT PARAMETERS
Values below are the manufacturer-recommended starting points for compatible Uniontech industrial SLA printers (Lite, Pilot, RSPro series); specific machines may require ±10–20% adjustment based on laser power, build size, and ambient temperature.
TABLE III RECOMMENDED PRINT AND POST-PROCESS PARAMETERS FOR SOMOS® PERFORM™ RESIN
|
Parameter |
Value / range |
Notes |
|
UV wavelength |
355 nm (solid-state UV laser) |
Standard for industrial SLA |
|
Compatible printers |
Uniontech Lite450 / 600 / 800, Pilot250 / 450, RSPro600 / 800 / 1400 / 1800 / 2100 |
Industrial 355 nm laser SLA platforms |
|
Layer thickness |
0.05–0.15 mm (typical 0.10 mm) |
Industrial SLA layering range |
|
Laser scan speed |
≈ 5–15 m/s |
Galvanometer-driven; depends on printer model |
|
Recoating |
Wiper / vacuum recoating with auto liquid level control |
Maintains constant resin level for accuracy |
|
Wash medium |
TPM (tripropylene glycol monomethyl ether) or IPA |
Recommended for industrial cleanliness |
|
Post-cure |
UV oven, 30–90 min @ 405 nm broadband |
Required for full mechanical property development |
|
Optional thermal post-cure |
160 °C, 4–8 h required to reach 269 °C HDT (0.45 MPa) / 119 °C HDT (1.81 MPa) |
Improves HDT / strength on selected resins |
V. GLASS TRANSITION TEMPERATURE (TG)
Reported / typical Tg: ≈ 110–130 °C (UV only); > 250 °C (UV + thermal cure).
Two-stage cure: UV-only delivers HDT (1.81 MPa) ≈ 82 °C; thermal post-cure raises this to 119 °C and lifts HDT (0.45 MPa) to 269 °C. Use thermal cure for any application above 60 °C continuous service.
VI. HEAT DEFLECTION TEMPERATURE (HDT)
HDT defines the temperature at which a 1.27 mm-thick standardised bar deflects 0.25 mm under the specified flexural load. Two test loads are reported per ASTM D648 / ISO 75.
TABLE IV HEAT DEFLECTION TEMPERATURE OF SOMOS® PERFORM™ RESIN
|
Test load |
HDT |
Test method / source |
|
0.45 MPa (UV cure) |
≈ 132 °C (estimate) |
ASTM D648 |
|
0.45 MPa (UV + thermal cure) |
269 °C (518 °F) |
ASTM D648 (datasheet) |
|
1.81 MPa (UV cure) |
82 °C (180 °F) |
ASTM D648 (datasheet) |
|
1.81 MPa (UV + thermal cure) |
119 °C (246 °F) |
ASTM D648 (datasheet) |
VII. DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS AND STANDARDS
A. Highest stiffness in mainstream SLA — modulus 10.5 GPa
PerFORM's tensile modulus of 10,500 MPa (UV cure) is among the highest of any commercially available SLA resin. The ceramic-particle-loaded composite approaches glass-fiber-reinforced injection-moulded thermoplastics in stiffness — but printed directly without tooling.
B. Outstanding heat resistance — HDT 269 °C (after thermal cure)
After thermal post-cure (160 °C, 4–8 h), PerFORM achieves HDT (0.45 MPa) of 269 °C — sufficient for short-term service in oven environments, near hot exhaust manifolds, and in heated-bed industrial processes.
C. Wind-tunnel and tooling validated
Stratasys explicitly markets PerFORM for rapid tooling and wind-tunnel testing — both applications where stiffness, dimensional stability, and elevated-temperature service are simultaneous requirements. Major aerospace and motorsport teams have publicly used PerFORM for these purposes.
D. Low water absorption — dimensionally stable in humidity
Water absorption of 0.1–0.2% is exceptionally low for a polymer-based resin, reducing dimensional drift in humid environments and giving stable tooling cavity dimensions over storage.
E. Brittleness caveat
Elongation at break is only 1.1–1.2 % — PerFORM is the most brittle SLA in this catalogue. Not for impact loading, thin features, or parts subject to vibration. Static structural / thermal use only.
VIII. REPRESENTATIVE APPLICATIONS
Somos® PerFORM™ Resin is typically deployed in the following applications:
1) Wind-tunnel testing components: Aerospace and motorsport aero models — stiffness and HDT both matter.
2) Rapid tooling for prototype injection moulding: Soft tooling for low-volume PP / PE / TPE injection moulding.
3) High-temperature electrical casings: Transformer covers, motor housings, induction-heater enclosures.
4) Automotive under-hood housings: Brackets, intake plenum prototypes, sensor housings.
5) High-temperature jigs and fixtures: Workholding for bake / cure / paint / heat-treat operations.
IX. REFERENCES
[1] Stratasys, “Somos® PerFORM™ Data Sheet,” MDS_SL_Somos PerFORM_0123a, 2023. Available: https://www.stratasys.com/contentassets/7c70078f60bc45b5bd0cc691ed03d3de/mds_sl_somos-perform_0123a.pdf
[2] Stratasys, “Somos® PerFORM™ Material Page,” 2024. Available: https://www.stratasys.com/en/materials/materials-catalog/stereolithography-materials/somos-perform/
[3] Prototek, “Somos® PerFORM TDS (legacy DSM document, archived),” 2023. Available: https://prototek.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/TDS-Somos%C2%AE-PerFORM.pdf
[4] Uniontech, “Stereolithography Resin Catalogue (PerFORM included),” 2024. Available: https://www.uniontech3d.com/stereolithography-resin/
[5] ASTM D638-14, “Standard Test Method for Tensile Properties of Plastics,” ASTM International.
[6] ASTM D2240-15, “Standard Test Method for Rubber Property — Durometer Hardness,” ASTM International.
[7] ASTM D648-18, “Standard Test Method for Deflection Temperature of Plastics Under Flexural Load,” ASTM International.
(Image Resource : GoEngineer)